Skeleton jar closure



March 30, 1937. T. TALIAFERRO 2,075,479

SKELETON JAR CLOSURE Filed Oct. 23, 1956 16 14' 9 20 J3 1g 2 fig 1 1* gi -W if V 1 2 Patented Mar. 30, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SKELETON JAR CLOSURE Application October 23, 1936, Serial No. 107,262

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in closures for containers and more particularly to improvements in a skeleton jar closing device.

An object of the invention is to provide a skeleton clamping device for securing a lid on a con ventional Mason jar during the preserving process wherein the clamping device contacts with the lid substantially entirely around the neck portion of the jar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above type having a horizontal portion contacting with the lid and a wire thread portion which is adapted to follow the threads on the jar.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the lid and clamping device in closed position on a Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the skeleton clamping device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the lid and a modified form of clamping device in closed position on the jar.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the modified form of skeleton clamping device.

The present invention contemplates generally the provision of a skeleton wire clamping device which may be advantageously used in domestic preserving or canning. Heretofore, it has been customary to provide a conventional threaded cap for closing containers of the Mason jar type. Caps of this type are placed on the jar rather loosely during the actual processing of the contents, after which the caps are screwed down tightly. With this construction, there has always been the difficulty of removing the cap from the jar due to the fact that some of the contents of the jar, particularly syrup, brine or the like, overflows and hardens around the threads. According to the present invention, a substantially flat metal lid is provided for closing the jar, and a skeleton clamping device having a wire thread is employed for holding the lid in position during the processing period. The clamping device includes a horizontal wire portion which contacts with the lid entirely around the same and directly over the neck portion of the jar and is also provided with a wire thread portion which is adapted to follow the threads on the jar. Thus, the

clamping device may be turned to hold the lid in position during the cooling of the jar, after which the clamping device may be removed, and the vacuum incident to the cooling of the contents will hold the lid securely on the jar. With a skeleton wire clamping device of this character, there is little or no possibility of the device becoming stuck to the jar because of any overflow during the processing period.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a conventional Mason jar I0 is illustrated as being provided with a neck portion H having inclined threads [2 thereon. The lid l3 for closing the jar is preferably formed of metal in the form of a disc having an annular groove or channel l4 around the edge thereof and disposed directly over the edge of the neck portion ll of the jar. A sealing composition I5 is placed within the annular groove l4 and forms a tight seal with the end of the neck portion of the jar.

A skeleton clamping device I6 is employed for securing the lid IS on the jar l0 during the processing period. The clamping device, as illustrated in Fig. 3, consists of a wire member having a horizontally disposed wire loop I! which is adapted to contact with the lid I 3 directly over the neck portion ll of the jar. One end of the horizontal wire loop portion I1 is bent outwardly, as at l8, and then downwardly, as at I 9, and then again inwardly, as at 20, thus forming a depending offset portion which overlies and clears the threads I 2 on the neck portion ll of the jar. The wire member is then shaped into a spiral 2| having a pitch corresponding to the pitch of the threads l2 on the jar It].

In employing the jar closure of the present invention in domestic canning or preserving, the skeleton clamping device I6 is screwed down on the jar so that the horizontal loop portion l1 contacts with the lid l3 directly above the neck portion II to loosely hold the lid in place during the actual steaming of processing period. After the jars are removed from the steaming device, the clamping device is turned to tightly hold the lid in place and the contents are allowed to cool. The cooling creates a vacuum within the jar and thus holds the lid in place. After the jars have been cooled, the clamping device can be removed so that it can be repeatedly used, thus eliminating the necessity of having an individual band for each jar. The skeleton band may be plated, as with chromium or the like, so that it will resist corrosion and the wire forming the same is made stiff enough so that the spiral portion 2| will follow the threads I2 of the jar and so that the horizontal wire loop portion I! will hold the lid in place.

In Figs. 4 and 5, a modified form of clamping device is illustrated. In this form of clamping device Ilia, there is provided a similar horizontal loop portion Ila, one end of which is shaped to depend therefrom so as to provide an offset portion 190, to clear the threads l2 on the jar. The opposite end of the wire loop portion 11a is also shaped to provide an offset depending portion 22 which extends across the ends of the spiral convolutions on the spiral portion 2 la. The depending portion 22 is welded to the spiral portion 2 la so as to strengthen the clamping device and add rigidity thereto.

From the foregoing description, it is to be clearly understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure for jars comprising a lid, a gasket with which the lid is adapted to contact, and a clamping member for securing the lid on the jar including a wire member shaped to provide a horizontally disposed loop bearing on the top of the lid directly over the gasket and further shaped to provide a spiral portion adapted to engage and follow the threads on the jar whereby to hold the lid in place.

2. A closure for jars comprising a lid, a gasket with which the lid is adapted to contact, and a clamping member for securing the lid on the jar including a wire member having a horizontally disposed loop bearing on the top of the lid directly over the gasket and having a spirally wound portion adapted to engage and follow the threads on the jar whereby to hold the lid in place, said horizontally disposed loop and said spirally wound portion being joined by an offset portion of the wire member overlying the threads on the jar.

3. A closure for jars comprising a lid, a gasket with which the lid is adapted to contact, and a clamping member for securing the lid on the jar including a wire member having a horizontally disposed loop portion bearing on the top of the lid directly over the gasket and having a spirally wound portion adapted to engage and follow the threads on the jar whereby to hold the lid in place, said loop having one end thereof depending and offset therefrom and secured to the outside of the spirally wound portion of said wire member.

THOMAS L. TALIAFERRO. 

